Of course, it probably helps that, cloistered nerd that I am, I'd never heard of BwF/DOWN before, but reading this makes me feel like I'm on drugs. It's a deliriously perfect syncretic blend of a bog-standard "sage 'learnings' from my start-up experience" post you'd find on LinkedIn or something, and an avuncular, elbow-in-the-ribs "Silicon Valley"-like parody thereof. But it appears to be true! Excellent Saturday reading.

True story: I couldn't watch Silicon Valley for how goddamn surreal it was to see them going through the same shit as us at the time. It was uncanny and very uncomfortable. Glad you liked the story, though.

"Ha ha, only serious"

The world has no obligation to work the way you think it should. Self aware scams can be quite profitable.

I laughed more at this piece than I've laughed at some comedians, which makes me think that some of his success is due to sheer charisma and chutzpah. Still... I'd have invested.

That brings a smile to my face. Making people laugh is only second in my book to getting them laid, and your comment made my day. -Colin

Fantastic story. Thoroughly enjoyed it and installed the app, which instantly made me feel like I was trapped inside a remote Nevada casino at 3am on a Monday.

Glad you enjoyed the story and thanks for gambling at our casino :P

Know that feeling well. Reno at 3am on a Monday is a version of Naked And Afraid.

I went through the first 15 pages of reviews on the App Store and every single one said this app is a scam and rated 1-star. Did they do a bait and switch?

Most hookup/dating apps have the same reviews from frustrated users. They all promote their subscription as a way to get more dates but that rarely (if ever) works.

My friend worked for Tinder and told me about the insane angry emails that they get, it’s almost comical.

It's a dating app, what do you expect? You're high in attractiveness, you'll get a lot of attention. You're not, you starve. It's basically a dystopian market.